


Wedding Week

by Ellimac



Series: How Much the Heart can Hold [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Wedding Planning, background Jasper/Peridot, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-14 01:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4545828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellimac/pseuds/Ellimac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As their wedding approaches, Pearl and Rose do last-minute planning, preparation, and disaster control.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wedding Week

**7 days**

“…And not everyone has RSVPed yet, and we need to know how many tables to set up, how many centerpieces to buy, and the caterer still hasn’t gotten back to me about vegetarian and vegan options—”

Rose laid a hand on Pearl’s arm. “Pearl, my love. It’s going to be all right.”

Pearl looked up at her, desperate to believe it. “You think?”

Rose smiled. “I _know_.”

“But the caterer—”

“We told them up front that we wanted vegetarian options. They know exactly what menu we want and they have for months. I’m sure they’ll come through.”

“And the RSVPs—”

“You know as well as I do that no event, ever, has had one hundred percent of invited guests RSVP. Even a wedding. Even _our_ wedding.” Rose put her arms around her and gave her a squeeze.

Pearl leaned against her. There was something immensely comforting about being held by Rose—the way her arms enveloped her, the feel of her chest moving with her breath, the sound of her heartbeat as Pearl pressed her ear to her chest. Pearl had already been on the verge of a panic attack more times than she could count as they tried to plan this wedding, and Rose was always able to calm her down.

“I’ll tell you what,” Rose said. “If the caterer hasn’t gotten back to us by tomorrow, I can call them. And I can put a reminder up on Facebook that we need people to RSVP, and if they’re coming and they don’t tell us, they won’t have anywhere to sit at the reception. And in the meantime, you and I can go out to a restaurant and let someone else worry about making dinner tonight, because frankly, we both have enough on our plate.”

Pearl took a deep breath. “That sounds wonderful, Rose. Thank you.” She hesitated. “And the cake—?”

Rose kissed the top of her head. “I ordered it. Exactly as we discussed. They said there will be no problem getting it ready in time.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Pearl said with a sigh. “At least that’s one thing we can be sure of.”

She leaned against Rose and closed her eyes. Just one more week, she thought. One more week and all their effort would pay off. One more week and she would be married to the love of her life.

 

**6 days**

“Really? Uh huh… oh, yes, that sounds excellent. Thank you so much. Yes, you’ve been _so_ helpful. Yes. Thank you.”

Rose hung up the phone and smiled at Pearl, who was twisting her hands and pacing. “All right,” Rose said. “I’ve cleared everything up with the caterer. They’ve got plenty of vegetarian options. Not as many vegan ones, but everyone should be able to find something to eat.”

Pearl breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. One less thing to worry about.”

“And we’ve got a few more RSVPs since I posted the reminder—mostly no, but it’s better to know. I think we have as good an estimate of how many people are going to be there as we ever will.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Pearl looked at Rose and smiled. It was a strained smile, but a smile nonetheless, and it made Rose happy to see it. This whole wedding business was more stressful on her than she liked to admit, but it was even harder on Pearl, and she had smiled so rarely in the past few weeks that each one was a pleasure to see. More than once, Rose had considered calling the whole thing off and just eloping, but at this stage in the proceedings, running off wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Pearl.

They would make up for all the stress, of course. Less than a week and all the pressure would be off. Their flight for the honeymoon was booked, all the most important people were coming, and—most importantly—they would both be there, together.

Rose crossed the room and kissed Pearl on the cheek. “I know another thing that won’t go wrong.”

“Really?” Pearl reached up and put a hand to her cheek.

Rose nodded. “You and I will both be there. And no matter what else happens, that will always be true.”

Pearl gazed up at her, eyes full of love. Sometimes it seemed like she couldn’t believe that Rose loved her, but it was equally amazing to Rose that Pearl loved _her_. Now, as she met Pearl’s gaze, she marveled at the fact that she was getting to marry her.

“You’re right,” Pearl said softly. “It will.”

 

**5 days**

“Amethyst texted,” Pearl said. “Her flight landed about an hour ago, and she’s at her hotel. She wants to know when she can come over.”

“Oh, good. I just got off the phone with the florist—they know when to show up and what we want.” Rose put her hands to her face and sighed. “One less thing to worry about. Tell Amethyst she can come over anytime. Garnet’s not getting here until tomorrow, but anything we can discuss ahead of time to make things easier—”

“Right.” Pearl twisted her hands together. The strain seemed to be starting to get to Rose, too, which was oddly reassuring. It helped to know that Pearl wasn’t the only one getting nervous, so close to the wedding. “Do you think it was right for us to each have only one bridesmaid?”

“Oh, Pearl.” Rose came over and clasped Pearl’s hands in hers. “I think it was a _wonderful_ choice. And Garnet and Amethyst will be wonderful bridesmaids. Or maids of honor, I suppose I should say.” She smiled. “It’s going to be a wonderful wedding.”

“Ooh, I hope Amethyst’s dress fits.” Pearl bit her lip. “I know she was here when we picked it out, but…”

“It’s going to be a wonderful wedding,” Rose repeated. She swung their hands. “Amethyst’s dress will fit fine, and if it doesn’t, there’s time for some last-minute alterations. And it will look beautiful, if her hair’s still purple.”

“Oh! I forgot about that.” Pearl pressed their hands to her forehead. “Everything’s going to be fine. Right, Rose?”

Rose tugged one of Pearl’s hands away from her forehead and kissed it gently. “It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be excellent.”

Pearl sighed. “I love you so much, Rose. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Rose smiled. “That’s the whole point of this wedding business, isn’t it?”

That drew a laugh from Pearl, which was nice. For the past few weeks, she had felt like she was in a clamp which was slowly being tightened. By now she was under so much pressure that she just might explode. Smiling and laughing felt like a luxury that she just didn’t have time for.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out. “Amethyst says she’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

“Good,” Rose said, releasing Pearl’s hand. “She can try on her dress, and she and I can talk about makeup.”

“Oh, makeup.” Pearl sighed and ran her hands through her hair, making it stick up. “Do you think it was a good idea not to hire a makeup artist?”

“I think all our ideas were good ones,” said Rose firmly, then added with a smile, “Especially the one about getting married.”

Pearl blushed. “Me, too.”

 

**4 days**

Pearl dropped her phone onto the counter, where it clattered as she started to shake. “That—Rose—oh, it’s a disaster.”

Rose was by her side immediately, putting her hands on her shoulders to try and steady her. Pearl leaned in, and Rose could see that she was barely holding back tears.

“What happened?” Rose said, smoothing Pearl’s hair back. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“That was the photographer,” Pearl said, sounding agonized. “I called to confirm that he would be there on time. He’s not coming at all.”

Rose’s heart seemed to stop for a moment. “ _What_? He cancelled on us?”

“No—somehow he got the wrong time written down, he… he thought the wedding didn’t start until nine, and he booked someone else at four, and we aren’t going to have a photographer and it’s all my fault—”

“No, no—Pearl, please.” Rose wrapped her arms around Pearl as Pearl began to cry into her chest. “It’s not your fault, I’m sure. There was some miscommunication, maybe he heard you wrong, maybe he wrote down the wrong time, but I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. It’s going to be all right.”

“But we don’t have a photographer!”

“We’ll work something out. Did he say if he would refund our deposit?”

Pearl nodded. “H-he apologized for the mix-up and said he’d send a check—he didn’t say when—”

“Okay. It’s okay, we don’t need it back right away.” Rose combed her fingers through Pearl’s hair, thinking fast. “Do you know if Garnet brought her camera?”

Garnet had arrived early that morning, and had already come and gone once that day. Pearl pulled away and looked up at Rose, tears staining her cheeks. “Um—I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Well, I hope she did. I’m not going to try to find another professional photographer this close to the wedding. Here’s what we can do—if Garnet has her camera, she can take some pictures. Oh, Amethyst can take some—she’s an amateur photographer, isn’t she? And if your cousin Lapis is coming—”

“She—she is, but she’s not a—”

“I’ve seen the magic she works with her selfies,” Rose said. She hoped Pearl couldn’t tell how wildly her heart was beating as she grasped at straws, trying to find some option that would stop Pearl’s stress. “You could text her and ask her to bring her camera. We can even pay her. I know it won’t be the same as having a professional photographer, but we can make it work.”

Pearl wiped her eyes. “You think?”

“I do think.” Rose laid a hand on her shoulder. “And you know what—this way it will have a more personal touch. The pictures will be taken by someone we know, rather than a stranger.”

Pearl nodded slowly. “Yes… you’re right. I’ll text her. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Rose kissed the tip of her nose. “You see? Everything’s going to work out for the best.”

Pearl was already reaching for her phone again, but she leaned against Rose as she texted her cousin, and Rose breathed an inward sigh of relief. She had been grasping at straws, hoping to prevent a full-on panic attack, but now that that had been avoided, she found herself believing it, herself.

 

**3 days**

Pearl leaned back in her chair, heaving a long sigh. “Lapis finally replied to my text. She says she can do it. Thank god.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Rose said, looking down as her own phone buzzed in her pocket.

“Tell me about it. Oh, this is a load off my mind. I was so worried we wouldn’t have any photos of the wedding.”

When Rose didn’t immediately reply, she turned in her seat to see Rose giving her a phone a very concerned look. “What’s wrong?”

“Amethyst thinks she might have broken her ankle,” Rose said.

Pearl froze. All the blood felt like it was draining out of her. “ _Now_? What on earth was she doing?”

“She didn’t say.” Rose looked up. “Do you want to go see her at the hospital? Do we have _time_ to—” She looked around for a clock. “We do. We’ve called the florist, the caterer, the church, the minister… I’ll drive.”

“She can’t—she _can’t_ —”

“Pearl, my love—” Rose put away her phone as Pearl began to hyperventilate. “I know, it’s terrible timing, but you know how Amethyst is. And you _know_ she’ll be at the wedding even if she has to break out of the hospital to get there, right?”

Pearl nodded, unable to speak. Rose put her hand on her shoulder, and Pearl put her head in her hands and started to shake.

“Pearl…” Rose sat on the chair next to her. “How about we just stay here for a while? We can go check on Amethyst later. When you’re feeling up to it.”

Pearl leaned against her. She was shaking, and on the verge of tears, and her chest felt tight and painful, but Rose didn’t ask for a verbal answer. She had known Pearl too long for that. Pearl had never imagined she would find someone who would not only put up with, but help her out of, her panic attacks—and here was Rose, doing exactly that without a hint of impatience.

Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, and her chest started to loosen up. She wrapped her arms around Rose and pulled herself into her lap, and Rose put her arms around her, holding her gently.

“Do you want to go see Amethyst now?” Rose said softly. “Or in a few minutes? Or in a few hours?”

“I—I’ll be okay soon,” Pearl said. “Maybe… maybe half an hour?”

Rose nodded. “Do you want to just stay here and cuddle until then?”

Pearl nodded and buried her face in Rose’s shoulder. The panic attack was over, but she still felt jittery, and had to bite her tongue to stop herself from sobbing.

Rose smoothed a hand over Pearl’s hair. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. It’s going to be all right.”

She kept murmuring that, and other soothing words, as Pearl’s shaking started to subside, and the urge to cry faded. This, Pearl thought, was exactly why she was marrying her. And no matter what else went wrong, it would all be worth it in the end.

 

**2 days**

“I’ll be out of the hospital in plenty of time, P, don’t be such a worrywart,” Amethyst said. Pearl’s phone was on speaker, so that Rose and Pearl could both hear her. “It’s just a bad sprain. They put a splint on it, but they’re gonna let me out of here today.”

“Thank you for keeping us updated,” Rose said, over Pearl’s shoulder. “Do you think you can come to the rehearsal?”

“I don’t know about that,” Amethyst said. “The doctor said I should stay off my feet as much as possible until it heals. I’ve gotta be there for the wedding, even if I’m on crutches, and she seems to think that’s enough standing up for like, a week.” Amethyst made a dismissive noise. “Whatever. She can’t tell me what to do.”

“Just do what’s best for you,” Rose said.

“How did you sprain it, anyway?” Pearl said.

Amethyst laughs. “You’re gonna think it’s stupid.” She paused. “You’d be right.”

“What happened?” Pearl persisted.

“I was trying to see how many of the hotel steps I could jump in one go. In case you were wondering, I topped out at eight. I screwed up the landing on nine and, well, the rest is history.”

“Oh, Amethyst…” Pearl sighed and put her hand to her forehead. Rose laid a hand on her back and gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t worry,” Amethyst said. “It’s gonna be fine.” There was some brief chatter in the background, and she said, “Gotta go. I’ll text you to let you know if I can come to rehearsal.”

“If not, we’ll see you at the wedding,” Rose said.

“See you later, alligators,” Amethyst said, and hung up.

Pearl collapsed into her chair. “Thank god it was only a sprain. If she’d broken her ankle…”

“She would have found a way to be there, I’m sure.” Rose moved to stand behind Pearl and run her shoulders. “Just keep breathing. We’re almost there.”

Pearl buried her face in her hands. “I know, but I just keep waiting for something else to go wrong… for the DJ to cancel, or the caterer to show up to the wrong place, or for the minister to suddenly decide she doesn’t want to marry two women, after all. Oh, that reminds me—my cousin Peridot finally RSVPed. Just barely in time to make the final guest list.”

“Oh? She’s coming?” Rose leaned over, deepening her massage of Pearl’s shoulders. She was stiff from several days of nothing but tension, and would probably stay that way until all was said and done, but a massage couldn’t hurt.

“Yes. Probably only because her mother would kill her if she didn’t. And she said she’s bringing her plus-one, too, which is probably her awful girlfriend.” Pearl grimaced. “Lapis isn’t going to be happy about that.”

Rose frowned. “Lapis doesn’t like Peridot either?”

“Oh, she and Peridot get along fine. It’s just Peridot’s girlfriend that Lapis can’t stand.” Pearl sighed. “Well, they don’t have to sit anywhere near each other. Or interact at all. I just hope Jasper doesn’t get drunk and—” She sat bolt upright, suddenly frantic. “The drinks, have we taken care of the drinks?”

“The caterer is providing drinks. And yes, we gave them the list of wines a long time ago.” Gently, Rose pulled Pearl back in her chair. Though she wouldn’t say as much to Pearl, the massage was as much for her sake as it was for Pearl’s. There were only two days left, and she had spent half of the previous night going over what they had already done and what they still needed to do, in her head. The repetitive motion of the massage and the feel of Pearl’s skin against hers was incredibly soothing. More so to her, it seemed, than to Pearl.

“And the cake… we’ve taken care of the cake,” Pearl said, slowly leaning into Rose’s touch. “Everyone except the photographer got the right time and venue. Everyone knows where to go. We’re… we’re just about ready, aren’t we?”

“Just about,” Rose agreed. “And when the rehearsal is over, we’ll be as ready as we possibly can be.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Pearl muttered. She gripped the table, and Rose worried for a moment that she had another panic attack coming on, but this, it seemed, was just ordinary nerves.

She leaned forward and kissed Pearl’s cheek. “I can,” she said softly.

Pearl looked at her and smiled, her expression full of wonder and love. “You’re right. I can, too.”

 

**1 day**

“So, the music starts, and Garnet and Rose go first, and then it’s you and me, P. Right?”

Pearl nodded. Amethyst had opted not to come to the rehearsal, as she wanted to be as fresh as possible for the wedding itself, but Garnet had offered her tablet so that Amethyst could be there in screen, if not in flesh. It was more of a relief than Pearl wanted to admit. Amethyst was one of her oldest friends, not to mention her only bridesmaid; not having her there in person was a blow, but not having her there at all would be even worse.

“And then,” Amethyst continued, “you and I will be standing on the left—or the right—I’m supposed to be facing the audience, right?”

“You stand behind me,” Pearl said. “And yes. Rose will be up there before us, so we just go to the side she’s not on.”

Garnet and Rose, meanwhile, were in deep discussion, occasionally practicing a movement or a walk. Their minister, Sadie, sat at the front of the room, lips moving as she read over the ceremony to herself. She was young and enthusiastic, and Rose liked her a lot, but she had never married anyone before, and was obviously dealing with nerves, too.

Pearl went over everything in her head one more time. Lapis had her camera, and was more than happy to be their photographer. The cake, flowers, and food were all going to arrive in plenty of time. All the out-of-town guests had arrived, except for Greg, Rose’s friend, who was driving and would be there in the morning. And their dresses had been delivered early that morning. It had been one of her recurring nightmares that the dresses would arrive, and be entirely the wrong size, or completely different from what they had asked for. As it was, the dresses fit perfectly, and were exactly what they wanted. They were complementary, but not matching: Rose’s sleeveless, with a sweetheart neckline and beading at the top; Pearl’s fitted, with lace cap sleeves and a subtle flowery pattern all through it. It was a load off Pearl’s mind, and one less thing to worry about during the rehearsal.

“And we should walk to the pace of the music, right?” Amethyst said, snapping Pearl’s attention back to the screen.

“Yes—no,” Pearl said. “I mean, yes, if you can, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself… more.”

Amethyst laughed. “Don’t worry about me, Pierogi. I’ve been practicing walking around on crutches. It’s gonna be fine.”

“We’ll go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with,” Pearl said. “Since you’re not here, I’m going to go at the pace of the music for now, but you set the pace at the wedding. You’re sure you can use the crutches with the dress?”

“I told you, I’ve been practicing. I only tore a few holes in it. It’s gonna be fine.” Pearl jerked the screen up to her face, and upon seeing her horrified expression, Amethyst held up her hands and smiled. “Joking, P. There’s no holes. Yes, the crutches work fine with the dress.”

Rose touched Pearl’s arm. “We’re ready to start.”

“You can do this, Pearl,” Amethyst said cheerfully. “If you trip and fall, I’ll say I tripped you with my crutches. That’ll only work when I’m actually there, though, so don’t try it tonight.”

“Ha, ha,” Pearl said nervously as she followed Rose out of the room. They were rehearsing in their living room, which had less space than the church they were getting married in, but it was the biggest room in the house and if they started in the hallway, it would be just about as long a walk as it would be tomorrow.

Pearl took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Amethyst gave her a thumbs up, and Rose gave her shoulder a comforting pat.

At a signal from Rose, the music started. Rose smiled at Pearl, then at Garnet, who smiled back as they began their walk down the makeshift aisle. As soon as they had reached their places, Pearl started to walk, holding the tablet up so that Amethyst could get a sense of where they were going, and what pace they were walking. The walk seemed interminably long, but then it was over, and she stood facing Rose. She handed the tablet to Garnet, who leaned over to hold it up in roughly the right position, and took Rose’s hands.

“I’m not going over the whole ceremony today,” said the minister, “but it’s going to be a pretty short one. Then you’ll say your vows—”

“Aren’t we handing them the rings first?” Amethyst said.

“Yes, right,” Sadie said, turning pink. “Rose is going first, right?”

Rose nodded.

“All right. Garnet hands her the ring, and _then_ you say your vows. Then it’s Amethyst’s and Pearl’s turn.”

Pearl gazed into Rose’s eyes. Her heart was thumping with nerves. She was all too aware of the other people in the room: not many, now, but there would be a lot more tomorrow. And Lapis would be taking pictures, and she would be expected to say her vows without tripping over her words, and to get to the altar without tripping over her feet…

But Rose would be there. She took a deep breath and managed a smile. Everything was going to be fine.

 

**0 days**

“All right, I’m almost finished. Open your eyes.”

Rose, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were all crammed into the bathroom as Garnet did Pearl’s makeup and Rose did Amethyst’s. They had decided long ago that not seeing each other in their dresses before the wedding was a silly tradition, and Rose was glad that they had. It made getting ready so much easier when the brides didn’t have to avoid each other all day. It also gave more time for Rose to admire Pearl in her wedding dress, though they had been busy enough that she had barely had time for it. In fact, she hadn’t had much time to feel nervous, either.

Thankfully, the same seemed to be true for Pearl. She showed no signs of panic as Garnet applied her eyeliner, and when she finished and Pearl looked at herself in the mirror, she actually smiled.

“Thank you so much, Garnet,” Pearl said. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” Garnet agreed with a smile. “Rose, are you almost done?”

“Just lipstick left,” Rose said. “Is everything else ready?”

“The guests are arriving. The DJ is set up, the caterer is setting up for the reception, and the cake is ready.”

Pearl took a deep breath, not taking her eyes off her own reflection. Rose was busy with Amethyst’s makeup, but she shot a look at Garnet, who laid a hand on Pearl’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be fine,” she said. “You’re going to do wonderfully. Don’t cry, Pearl. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

Pearl sniffed and turned to Garnet. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said. “Ohh, I would hug you, but we can’t rumple our dresses—”

Garnet pulled her into a hug anyway. “I’m so happy for you. And so proud.”

Pearl sniffed again, but managed to hold back tears. “Thank you, Garnet. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

There was a knock at the door, and Sadie entered. “Oh, good, you’re all here,” she said. “And your makeup is done? Good. Lapis wanted some pre-wedding photos.”

“Tell her we’ll be right there,” Rose said. “Does she want all of us, or just me and Pearl?”

“I didn’t ask. You’d all better go. She’ll probably want shots with the bridesmaids, too.”

Amethyst got to her feet, gripping her crutches. “I’m ready.”

Pearl squeezed past Garnet and Rose to put her hand on Amethyst’s shoulder. “All right,” she said. “Let’s go.”

The four of them made their way out to the side of the church, where Lapis was waiting. It was really a beautiful spot, with the white walls of the church on one side and trees framing the property on two others; an ideal spot for photos, though the soft ground made it a little hard for Amethyst to maneuver. Still, they were able to get several photos, including solo shots of each of them, before Sadie poked her head out the door.

“It’s almost four,” she said. “Are you guys ready?”

“I’ll go sit down,” Lapis said, and hurried away.

Pearl looked at Rose. “I’m ready.”

Rose nodded. “Is everyone here?”

“Everyone who’s going to be, I’m guessing,” Sadie said. “The pews look pretty full.”

With the wedding imminent, and all the preparations over and done with, Rose was starting to feel jittery. She reached for Pearl’s hand, and Pearl took it and smiled at her. It struck Rose, as it had several times in the past few weeks, how lucky she was to be marrying this woman.

“Five minutes,” Sadie said with an encouraging smile. “I’ll be inside. See you soon.”

She closed the door, and Amethyst punched Pearl lightly on the arm. “Hey. You feeling good, Pierogi?”

Pearl nodded. “I think so.”

“You’re about to get married! You should be feeling great!” Amethyst paused. “And maybe a little nervous. But you can do this, P. I promise.”

Pearl smiled at her. Rose smiled, too, silently wishing someone would give the same reassurance to her. She was probably not as nervous as Pearl, but still, there were butterflies in her stomach.

Garnet put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You’re both going to do wonderfully,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go get in position.”

She took Rose’s arm and didn’t let go until they were inside the small front room of the church. Through the windows in the doors, she could see the gathered crowd. It wasn’t really that many people, just family and close friends, but Rose could see Pearl starting to hyperventilate.

“It’s going to be fine,” she told her quietly, not wanting the sound to carry. “I’ll be up there waiting for you.”

Pearl nodded, unable to speak. Amethyst gave her hand a squeeze.

It was only a few minutes, but it felt like an hour at least, standing in that little room, waiting for the music to start. When it did, Rose jumped, startled. Garnet took her arm and smiled at her.

“It’s going to be fine,” she said, then looked at Pearl and nodded. Then, arm in arm, she and Rose entered the church.

Rose didn’t mind all the eyes on her, nor the flashes of cameras, but her heart still felt like it was going at double speed. This walk, too, seemed impossibly long, but she kept her eyes on Sadie, and smiled at her as she reached the altar. Then she turned, just in time to see Pearl start her walk down the aisle.

Though she had spent all day with her, the sight of her still set Rose’s heart beating faster. She was beautiful. She was always beautiful, but today, especially, she was glowing with radiance that had nothing to do with her dress or makeup. As she walked, her eyes didn’t leave Rose’s face, and there was no trace of nerves in her expression. When she reached Rose, and their hands came together between them, there was nothing but sheer happiness and love in her expression. It was as though they were alone in the room.

Sadie cleared her throat, which ruined that illusion. But neither Pearl nor Rose took their eyes off one another even so.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and distinguished guests,” she said. “We are gathered here today to witness the union of Rose Quartz and Pearl Universe. Many of you have known one or both of them their entire lives. Even those of you who haven’t, you can see what I see: two people who are as deeply in love as any two people have been.

“The two women before me have been through many stages of life together, and their relationship has taken many forms—from friends, to lovers, to fiancées… and today, happily married.” She paused to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. “I always cry at weddings,” she said with a sheepish smile, earning a murmur of laughter from the crowd.

“Today,” she said, as the laughter subsided, “these two women will move into the next stage of their life together. Today, they will be bound together, not just by law, but by love, in body, spirit, and soul.” She took a deep breath, apparently trying to hold back more tears. “Garnet? The ring.”

Garnet stepped forward and handed the ring to Rose, who held it ready to put on Pearl’s finger.

“Repeat after me,” Sadie said. “I, Rose, take you, Pearl…”

“I, Rose, take you, Pearl…”

“To be my lawful wedded wife.”

“To be my lawful wedded wife.”

“I promise to love and cherish you for all time.”

“I promise to love and cherish you for all time.”

“In sickness and in health.”

“In sickness and in health.”

“For richer or for poorer.”

“For richer or for poorer.”

“As long as we both shall live.”

“As love as we both shall live,” Rose finished, and slid the ring onto Pearl’s finger. Sadie sniffed, but soldiered on, repeating the same vows for Pearl.

Pearl spoke quietly, but with feeling. Her words were only for Rose. After “as long as we both shall live,” she slid the ring onto Rose’s finger and smiled up at her as if she were the only person in the world.

“You may now kiss the bride,” said Sadie, in a voice thick with tears. But neither Rose nor Pearl minded, as Pearl threw her arms around Rose’s neck and kissed her for all she was worth.


End file.
